Chapter 25: The Forge Blacksmith

Leaving the Black Gold Shop, Fanxing thought about the massive windfall of 1,000 spirit energy gems she had just acquired. Surely, this called for a proper shopping spree?

With a spring in her step, she wandered happily through the Ghost Market. Soon, she spotted a luxurious building—a shop operated by the Alliance. It made sense; since the Alliance tacitly permitted the existence of this place, they would naturally want a slice of the profit. The Spirit User Alliance was wealthy and imposing, and their shop was built with such grandeur, standing over a dozen stories high, that the Black Gold Chamber of Commerce couldn't even compare.

Recalling Jia Kui’s advice, Fanxing decided to check if the Alliance shop sold spirit energy cards. The Black Gold Chamber of Commerce felt a bit shady, and Fanxing wouldn't dare use their cards.

"Welcome," a waiter greeted her with a bright smile the moment she stepped through the door. Indeed, compared to the Black Gold Chamber of Commerce, the Alliance shop was much more professional; the staff they employed were pure humans.

As Fanxing walked in, a girl with a ponytail approached her with a beaming smile. "How may I help you, guest?"

"I'd like to buy some spirit energy cards," Fanxing stated directly.

The attendant gestured forward immediately. "Please, follow me."

Fanxing followed the attendant to the second floor, where she found a section dedicated to selling spirit energy cards. Upon seeing her arrival, the salesperson greeted her with a warm, professional smile. "What style are you looking for?"

Through the salesperson’s eloquent introduction, Fanxing learned that there were many varieties of spirit energy cards.

The cheapest were "patternless cards," which served only one purpose: providing a dwelling for a spirit seed, with no other function.

Next were "gem spirit energy cards." These cards had an additional feature: they allowed for spirit energy gems to be embedded and swapped as needed. The embedded gem would channel its energy into the card, creating a suitable environment for the spirit seed to cultivate.

The third grade, "attribute cards," were even more advanced. Not only could they host spirit energy gems, but they could also convert the transmitted energy into elemental energy, allowing the residing spirit seed to absorb it more efficiently. For instance, if a fire-attribute spirit seed were placed in a fire-attribute card, the energy from the embedded gem would be converted into fire energy, accelerating the absorption rate and increasing the efficiency of the spirit seed’s training.

The cards the Alliance had gifted Fanxing, the one she had received from the mysterious person, and the one from the Black Gold Chamber of Commerce containing the Cursed Witch Child—these were all the first type: patternless cards.

As the salesperson reached the third category, they enthusiastically asked, "Guest, we have spirit energy cards of every attribute. What would you like to buy?"

"Do you have yin-attribute cards?" Fanxing asked.

The salesperson replied with pride, "Of course!"

"What about evil-attribute?" Fanxing asked again.

"Certainly," the salesperson answered firmly.

Fanxing pondered for a moment and said, "Give me two yin-attribute cards, one evil-attribute card, and two second-grade gem cards!"

The two yin-attribute cards were for the Princess and the Cursed Witch Child, and the evil-attribute card was for Yato. As for the two extra patternless cards, she would keep them for future use.

"Coming right up!" The salesperson beamed and efficiently retrieved the items. "That will be 8 spirit energy gems."

The attribute cards cost 2 gems each, the second-grade gem cards cost 1 gem each, and the third-grade patternless cards were sold at a rate of 10 for 1 gem. Good grief, the gap between the grades was truly massive; no wonder the Alliance was so generous with the freebies. Had this been before she sold the Great Axe, Fanxing would have turned and run the moment she saw the prices for the second and third grades. But now, she was rich—naturally, she had to use the best!

Fanxing pulled out the gems to pay, but the salesperson smiled and said, "Please present your Spirit Mark Bracelet for identification."

It turned out that the Alliance shop only sold cards to their internal members. Since black-market spirit users often infiltrated the Ghost Market, the Alliance required customers to show their Spirit Mark Bracelets to ensure their cards didn't fall into the wrong hands.

Hearing this, Fanxing hesitated. She didn't want to expose her connection to the Alliance while wearing this face. After a moment of contemplation, she told the salesperson, "I have some business to attend to. Can I come back and purchase them later?"

"Of course," the salesperson replied with a smile, assuming Fanxing simply lacked the funds.

Fanxing turned and left the shop, thinking about how she could acquire the cards. Just then, she saw Lu Xiangxiang, Mei Xiaohuan, Wu Xingyu, and Sun Chao walking toward her, chatting and laughing. An idea immediately took root in her mind. She walked to a corner and beckoned them over. "Hey, you guys, come here for a second."

Lu Xiangxiang pointed to herself. "Are you calling us?"

Fanxing nodded. "Yes, I need a favor."

The group walked over, looking confused. "What kind of favor?" Lu Xiangxiang looked her up and down. *What a handsome young man!* If it weren't for his looks, she wouldn't have bothered.

Fanxing said, "I’d like you to help me buy some spirit energy cards from that shop over there."

Mei Xiaohuan frowned. "Why don't you go yourself?"

Fanxing put on a mournful expression. "You wouldn't understand. The salesperson there is my ex-girlfriend. We had a bit of a falling out when we broke up—mostly my fault, of course—so she'll definitely give me a hard time if I go."

Lu Xiangxiang didn't believe her right away, looking at her suspiciously. "You aren't a black-market spirit user trying to trick us into buying cards for you, are you?"

Fanxing immediately denied it. "How could that be? Look, I have the Alliance-exclusive Spirit Mark Bracelet."

When not displaying identity information, the bracelets all looked the same. Once Lu Xiangxiang and the others saw it, their suspicions vanished. The bracelets had built-in protection; if a black-market user tried to forcibly seize one, the device would trigger a self-destruct mechanism. Therefore, the bracelets couldn't be stolen or worn by non-Alliance members.

Fanxing tempted them: "I won't let you run this errand for nothing. I’ll give you a reward—each of you can choose one attribute spirit energy card of your liking."

She did this because if Lu Xiangxiang and her friends bought the exact items she had asked for, the salesperson would certainly grow suspicious. It would be too coincidental for someone to walk in and buy the same items immediately after she left. But if Lu Xiangxiang’s group acted as a cover, it would be different. Although it cost more, it was worth it for the safety.

Wu Xingyu’s eyes widened. "The kind of attribute spirit energy cards that cost two gems each?"

Fanxing nodded. "Exactly."

Wu Xingyu was deeply tempted and said to the others, "Let's help him out. We're all Alliance spirit users; who knows, we might even work together in the future."

The four of them had come to the Ghost Market and feasted their eyes, but because their pockets were empty, they hadn't bought a single thing. The other three exchanged glances, all feeling the pull. After a moment of hesitation, Lu Xiangxiang agreed, "Fine, we'll help you out."

Among the four, Lu Xiangxiang was the leader. She hesitated again, "Are you really willing to buy each of us an attribute card?"

"Would I lie to you?" Fanxing said readily. She pulled out a pouch and handed it to Lu Xiangxiang. "Look, here are the spirit energy gems. Are you satisfied now?"

Lu Xiangxiang looked inside and saw 19 shimmering spirit energy gems. 9 were for her own purchase—she had decided to buy one extra second-grade card just to be safe—and 8 were for the group's rewards. As for why there were 2 extra, she intended to buy one for Fan Honghong. If it weren't for Fan Honghong, she, a person from the Surface World with no background, wouldn't even have known the Ghost Market existed. Though Fanxing didn't claim to be a saint, she believed in the principle of repaying debts of gratitude.

Lu Xiangxiang looked at Fanxing with envy. "You're so rich!" She longed for the day when she could buy whatever she wanted. *Just you wait,* she thought, *once I finish training and start my career, I'll definitely be able to earn my own money!*

Lu Xiangxiang and the others went into the shop with the money and returned shortly after, looking exhilarated. After taking their rewards, Lu Xiangxiang handed the remaining cards to Fanxing. "Here, these are the cards you asked us to buy."

Fanxing took them, checked the contents, and stored them in her Spirit Mark Bracelet. "Thank you all. If it weren't for you, I would have had to endure another epic battle with my ex."

The group, in high spirits, replied, "Don't mention it!"

"Then I’ll be off," Fanxing said, turning to leave. In the blink of an eye, she had vanished.

"How did they move so fast?" Mei Xiaohuan muttered.

After parting ways, Fanxing continued to wander the Ghost Market. Suddenly, she heard the faint sound of metal being struck. Following the noise, she found a blacksmith shop in a secluded corner of the street.

"Great Tool Blacksmith Shop?" What a casual name. However, listening to the rhythmic hammering, Fanxing felt a spark of curiosity.

The owner of the shop wasn't human but a spirit seed. He looked remarkably like a man, though short—only about 1.5 meters tall. His muscles were bulging like small hills, and his face was covered in a thick, bushy beard that obscured his true appearance. He held a massive hammer, striking a piece of glowing red iron with intense focus.

Unable to resist, Fanxing pointed her scanner at him.

Race: Furnace Blacksmith
Classification: Spirit-Forming Type
Attributes: Metal, Fire
Trait: Thousand-Hammer Refinement [Spirit seeds with this trait produce equipment of superior quality.]
Skills: Forging [Uses metal energy to swing the hammer, refining material quality], Smelting [Uses fire energy to easily melt various precious materials], Refining [Uses both fire and metal energy to further refine finished goods], Heavy Strike [Attacks with the hammer, with a chance to increase attack and defense.]
Rating: A
Position: Support
Description: A blacksmith who died by throwing himself into a furnace, merging with his hammer to become a spirit seed. The giant hammer is his true body.

Fanxing’s jaw dropped. He was an A-grade spirit seed with so many incredible skills! The Ghost Market was truly full of hidden gems. She suspected that the fox and the Sage of Wood she had encountered earlier were likely just as powerful.

As soon as she finished reading the info, the blacksmith glared at her, having clearly sensed her prying. However, since she was quite far away, he couldn't be bothered to deal with her and returned to his work.

Fanxing noticed a sign next to the shop: "Recycling all kinds of forging materials." Her eyes lit up. Could she sell the broken spirit energy cards and the useless black cards as materials?

Thinking this, she walked over to the blacksmith. When she reached his side, she took out the cards and asked, "Boss, do you accept these cards?"

The Furnace Blacksmith glanced at them casually and then went back to hammering. "Not even worth one spirit energy gem. Junk!"

Fanxing: "..."

"I'll give you one spirit energy gem for the lot," the blacksmith grunted. "Over there—put the items down and take the money yourself." He pointed vaguely.

Fanxing looked in the direction he indicated and saw a gray basket behind the furnace, brimming with spirit energy gems. Another pitch-black basket was filled with a chaotic pile of various materials.

*Holy cow, he's loaded!* Fanxing was stunned. Was this the power of an A-grade spirit seed?

She tossed the cards into the black basket, grabbed a single spirit energy gem from the gray one, and quickly retreated.

Just after she left, a middle-aged man passed by the shop. Glancing into the black basket, he saw the black cards and his expression changed instantly. He stormed over and demanded, "Old man, where did you get those black cards?"

The blacksmith, focused on his work, completely ignored him.

The man became enraged. "Dead old man, I’m talking to you!"

The blacksmith remained silent, focusing only on his craft. The man, fuming, pulled out a summoning card, preparing to attack. But before he could even release his spirit seed, he saw a giant hammer growing larger in his vision.

*Thwack!* With a thunderous sound, the man was reduced to a pool of blood. Even the spirit energy card in his hand was pulverized, and the spirit seed inside was killed instantly.

This was the terrifying nature of an A-grade spirit seed. Even a support-type spirit seed could deliver a basic attack that no mere minnow could withstand.

After crushing the man, the Furnace Blacksmith continued his work. "Damn it, these stray cats and dogs... Not buying, not selling, just howling at my door?"